India’s Daughter Nikhat Zareen won the gold medal in the 52kg division at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, defeating Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the fly-weight final. Nikhat joins Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, and Lekha KC as the fifth Indian woman to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Zareen is a 25-year-old former junior world champion. Nikhat defeated her Thai opponent in the final and took home the gold medal. The Indian won 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28.
Zareen was on fire, using her technical prowess and excellent court coverage to deceive her quick-footed opponent. In the opening round, Nikhat wowed the judges by landing considerably more punches than the Thai boxer. The second round was more competitive, and Jitpong won 3-2. In the last round, Nikhat went all in and slammed the door on her opponent, winning a 5-0 unanimous decision.
Nikhat Zareen: Facts You Should Know
Personal Life
Zareen was born on June 14, 1996, in Nizamabad, Telangana, India, to Mohammad Jameel Ahmed and Parveen Sultana. She attended Nirmala Hrudaya Girls High School in Nizamabad for her elementary education. She is a student at AV College in Hyderabad, Telangana, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.
Career
Mohammad Jameel Ahmed, Zareen’s father, introduced her to boxing and she trained with him for a year. In 2009, Nikhat joined the Sports Authority of India in Vishakhapatnam to train with Dronacharya awardee IV Rao. She was named the ‘golden best boxer’ at the Erode Nationals in 2010 a year later.
2011 Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championships
At the AIBA Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championships in Turkey, she won gold in the flyweight division. Zareen faced Turkish boxer Ulku Demir and won the fight 27:16 after three rounds.
2014 Youth World Boxing Championships
In 2014, she won silver in the Youth World Boxing Championships in Bulgaria.
2014 Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament
On January 12, 2014, she won gold at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in Novi Sad, Serbia. Zareen won the 51 kg weight category over Russia’s Paltceva Ekaterina.
2015 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship
In Assam, she won gold in the 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship.
2019 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament
In Bangkok, she won silver in the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament.
2019 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament
At the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament in Bangkok, she took silver.
2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament
Zareen won the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, after defeating Ukraine’s Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medalist, 4-1. Coach Bhaskar Bhatt led the women’s team. She also defeated Buse Naz akrolu, the silver medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, in the semi-finals.
2022 Women’s World Championship
Zareen won the gold medal in the 52kg category at the Women’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 19, 2022, defeating Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the fly-weight final. Zareen joined Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Jenny R. L., and Lekha K. C. as the fifth Indian woman to win a gold medal at the World Championships. She was the second Indian boxer to win a World Championships Gold Medal outside of India, M.C. Mary Kom was the first to do it four times out of her six gold medals.
Awards
- Nikhat was appointed the official ambassador of Nizamabad, Telangana, where she was born.
- Jalandhar, India – February 2015 – ‘Best Boxer’ in the All India Inter-University Boxing Championship
- 2019 JFW Award for Sports Excellence
- Zareen received electric scooters and a cash reward of Rs 10,000 in 2020 from sports minister V. Srinivas Goud and the Telangana State Sports Authority (SATS).
Endorsements of brands
Zareen signed a brand sponsorship contract with Adidas in 2018. Zareen is backed by the Welspun group and is part of the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
Job
Zareen has been assigned to the Bank of India’s zonal office in AC Guards, Hyderabad, as a staff officer.
Zareen’s father after her victory
Nikhat was advised not to wear shorts, but she is now a global champion: Nikhat Zareen’s father, Jameel
Former footballer and cricketer Mohammad Jameel wanted one of his four children to take up a sport. Nikhat Zareen, his third daughter, was chosen for athletics by the Nizamabad native. Nikhat, a young state champion in both sprint events, followed an uncle’s suggestion and entered the boxing ring. She was crowned World Youth Boxing Champion at the age of 14 and appeared destined to be a great force.
But living in the shadow of Mary Kom meant waiting patiently for her day in the spotlight. She missed a whole year in 2017 due to a shoulder injury. After a unanimous decision victory over Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas, Nikhat became the flyweight (52 kg) world champion five years later. Jameel returned the admiration.
- Mary Kom in year 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018
- Sarita Devi in year 2006
- Jennyv RL in year 2006
- Lekha KC in year 2006
- Nikhat Zareen in year 2022
It was also India’s first gold medal since Mary Kom, the legendary boxer, won it in 2018.
Nikhat got off to a fast start, landing several powerful punches in the first three minutes against Jutamas, who came into the bout having defeated Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova, a three-time World Championships medalist.
The 25-year-old Indian used her lengthy reach to retain her domination over the Thai fighter, whom she had defeated in the 2019 Thailand Open semi-final—their sole encounter—en route to a silver medal finish.
Jutamas attempted a comeback in the second round with a counter-attacking show, but he was unable to trouble the quick-moving Nikhat, who appeared to be in complete control.
Strength proved to be a significant element as Nikhat threw caution to the wind in the last round and continued to assault fiercely before earning the gold with relative ease.
Winning a medal at the World Championships is always a dream, and Nikhat’s achievement at such a young age is impressive. We are proud at BFI that our fighters have not only made us proud, but that each of their boxing experiences has inspired future generations “Ajay Singh, President of the BFI, stated.
“On behalf of the Boxing Federation of India, I congratulate Nikhat, the bronze medalists Parveen and Manisha, as well as the trainers and support workers, on their success. Our eight boxers made it to the quarter-finals, which was a tie for the most and demonstrates the power of Indian boxing “he continued.
With bronze medals for Manisha (57kg) and Parveen (63kg) in the semi-finals, the Indian contingent finished with three medals at the world’s biggest boxing event, It was also the 20th anniversary of the Women’s World Championships, which featured exciting competition in the presence of a record 310 boxers from 73 countries.
This year’s competition saw eight Indian boxers reach the quarter-finals, tying Turkey for the most. India’s overall medal count in the 12 editions of the prestigious event has increased to 39, including 10 gold, eight silver, and 21 bronze (50) and making it the third-highest after Russia (60) and China (60). (50).
